In his book, The Motive, Patrick Lencioni gives a great illustration to show the difference between a reward-centered leader and a relationship-centered leader.

He writes, “Imagine young men being drafted into the NFL. When some players get chosen by a team, they feel primarily a great sense of relief and accomplishment. ‘I’ve finally made it. After years of hard work, I’m being rewarded and recognized. My life is about to become more enjoyable, and I don’t have to worry about money. I can’t wait to celebrate, find a house, buy a car,…'”

“Other players, though grateful for and gratified by their accomplishment, immediately feel the weight of proving their worth to the team that drafted them. ‘I can’t wait to get my new playbook and start preparing for the season. I don’t want my coaches and teammates to look back on this next year and regret choosing me. I need to find a place to live as soon as possible and get to work improving on…”

There is a fundamental difference between these two players, one that will almost always have a greater impact on their eventual success than their talents and skills. Simply stated, players who are responsibility-centered almost always exceed expectations. Players who are reward-centered almost always fail to live up to theirs.” (quoted verbatim from Page 136)

Since I am a pastor I thought about that in my realm of the world. There will always be those pastors who think they deserve recognition. They seek entitlement. They seek rewards. They lead a church because it gives them honor, prestige, a name, and recognition. They are invited to conferences to speak about their success. They have articles written about “their” church and its size or success or its physical building.

On the other hand, there are those who work hard, not seeking fame or fortune. They work for the glory of HIS name not their own. They don’t care if they are never invited to speak at a conference of their peers. Their labor of love is focused on the church they serve, no matter how small or how big.

IMHO it is the latter I want to emulate. This April I will celebrate my 50th year of ordination. In those 50 years I have never been asked to speak at a conference. I have never had my name in lights. I have never served a big congregation. That used to bug me…tremendously. But not any more. In fact, I now see why I never experienced those things. I COULD NOT HAVE HANDLED IT! The church I serve now-I started my 20th year in November-is the one I love. I want to be nowhere else (except when visiting my grandson or on vacation). Speak nowhere else. Serve nowhere else (except when we have 15-18″ of snow and temps in the 20s). 🙂 

I did not intend on this post becoming about me and my love for the church I pastor, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Ya know? So let me finish with a question: what kind of leader are you or do you look for?